


Iwaizumi's Secret

by iwaizumisbiceps



Series: Secrets [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, High School, M/M, Mutual Pining, OR IS IT, Platonic Hand Holding, Singing, this is pretty much just a love letter to iwaizumi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29369238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwaizumisbiceps/pseuds/iwaizumisbiceps
Summary: Iwaizumi is secretly a good singer. Like a really really good singer. Even though Iwaizumi has shared practically everything with Oikawa since before he could even remember, this talent is something he keeps to himself. That is, until he's caught in the act.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Series: Secrets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2161296
Comments: 14
Kudos: 75





	Iwaizumi's Secret

**Author's Note:**

> This grew from my headcanon that Iwaizumi has a beautiful singing voice but keeps it a secret. I originally posted this on twitter but I wanted to share it here, so it's un-beta'd. I just love Iwaizumi so much so I wanted to write this for him. Enjoy :)

Iwaizumi is secretly a good singer. Like a really really good singer. 

His voice is low and warm and pairs beautifully with an acoustic guitar. Iwaizumi has always loved music, so his parents gifted him a guitar and some lessons when he was a kid. In those lessons, he discovered that his voice actually sounded pretty good. The lessons have long stopped, but the hobby hasn’t. 

Even though Iwaizumi has shared practically everything with Oikawa since before he could even remember, this talent is something he keeps to himself. He only practices alone in his room, hiding the guitar in his closet when guests come around. Nobody pays any mind to the calluses on his hands, as they’re just as much of a result from playing volleyball anyway. It’s not that he hides this hobby because he thinks he sounds bad. Even though people like to joke that Iwaizumi’s as dense as one can get, he’s still aware enough to know that he sounds pretty good. It’s just...well, he doesn’t always like to be so vulnerable. His little hobby is one of the few things that completely takes away any stress from school or volleyball. He’d rather not have the whole team, namely Oikawa, tease him about something he likes to do without any reservations or pretenses. 

Even though he exists most naturally when with Oikawa, who has seen him at his worst, and his best, and everywhere in between, Iwaizumi still flushes at the thought of Oikawa seeing this extremely private form of stress relief. So, even though the desire to share yet another thing with his best friend burns brightly in Iwaizumi, he keeps this one thing to himself. Oikawa, being said best friend (and a nuisance), has gotten into the habit of letting himself into Iwaizumi’s home when he knows he’s home alone. A few times, Oikawa has almost caught Iwaizumi in the act of singing, but each time Iwaizumi has luckily heard him bounding up the stairs. This gave Iwaizumi enough time to shove the guitar in his closet and flop on his bed to pretend he was just on his phone. 

On this particular day during their third year, after walking Oikawa home after a thoroughly rough practice, Iwaizumi finds himself strumming his guitar and warming up his voice with soft humming. Anxiousness still buzzes in Iwaizumi’s veins as today’s practice plays in his mind. He wasn’t in top form, missing spikes he should’ve gotten. How can Aoba Johsai do well in the upcoming national tournament qualifiers if Iwaizumi isn’t able to be the ace Oikawa deserves? The grandness of the upcoming tournament, and the fact that their high school days were quickly coming to an end, got into Iwaizumi’s head. He wasn’t able to focus, and it showed in his terrible performance. 

When they'd reached Oikawa’s home, Oikawa had tugged on Iwaizumi’s sleeve and told him in a quiet voice to come inside so they could blow off homework and watch shitty movies the rest of the night instead. Iwaizumi knew what he was doing, because _of course_ Oikawa could tell that his ace was in a weird mood, but he still made some stupid excuse and walked off in the direction of his own home just a few houses down. He could practically feel Oikawa’s eyes on him the entire way. 

It isn’t long before Iwaizumi starts to get lost in the music. The past few weeks he’s been practicing an English song, _Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door_ by Bob Dylan, and he thinks he finally has it down pat. He’s sitting on his desk chair he’s pulled toward the middle of his room, his back to the door. His parents are out, at a friend’s home for the evening, so Iwaizumi knows he can play and sing as loud as he wants without feeling like he’s bothering them. He runs through the song again and again, still just humming, and the stress from earlier melts away. 

_Okay_ , he decides, he’s ready to run through the song one more time, actually singing this time, before he really needs to start his homework for the night. Iwaizumi takes a deep breath and starts to strum the song from the beginning. As usual, his voice is warm and resonant, slightly raspy at parts. The song suits his voice perfectly. He allows himself to really get into it, any self consciousness let go since he knows his parents can’t hear him. And damn, he sounds even better than usual tonight. The foreign words even feel comfortable rolling off his tongue after having practiced the song for so long and since he’s been acing his English tests. For the first time all day, Iwaizumi feels light and in control, an easy smile playing on his lips as he sings. He’s changing chords without thinking, confident that his practiced fingers will find the right spots. The smooth notes coming from the guitar fill his tiny room. They vibrate through him and pair beautifully with the rich timbre of his voice in an electrifying way. It feels like the moment his hand connects with one of Oikawa’s flawless sets to make for a perfect spike. Iwaizumi even thinks, for a split second, that maybe Oikawa learning about this part of him wouldn’t be so bad.

Well, he’s dead wrong about that. It’s not until Iwaizumi finishes the song, the last echoes of his voice and the guitar strings coming to an end, that he feels a presence behind him. With a start, Iwaizumi stands and turns around. And sure enough, Oikawa is standing in the doorway, his eyes wide and his jaw slack. His normally porcelain skin is flushed pink. In his arms are DVD's and some snacks.

Iwaizumi opens his mouth to speak, to somehow deny everything he knows Oikawa saw and heard, but no words come out. Oikawa blinks, very slowly, and then his face transforms into a pout.

“Iwa-chan, what the hell! How dare you keep something like this from me!”

Iwaizumi’s entire body feels like it's on fire, the fact that Oikawa heard him singing fully hitting him. He was never going to let Iwaizumi live this down.

“Please don’t tell the team,” Iwaizumi says quickly, his mind dizzy and without reason. That shouldn't really be his first priority, but it was the first thing his mind made him blurt out.

Oikawa scoffs, the blush on his cheeks finally fading. ”Secret keepers don’t get to make demands. And you can’t really expect me to keep such a huge revelation to myself.”

Iwaizumi notices that Oikawa is looking around the room. Iwaizumi becomes aware of the fact that his body is shaking and the only thing keep him steady is his death grip on his guitar. He swallows thickly and asks, “What are you looking around for?”

Oikawa shrugs, a sly smile on his face, eyes teasing. “Oh, I don’t know, Iwa-chan. From the way you were belting I figured you must be playing for an audience.”

Iwaizumi turns away from him, letting out a shaky breath, like a humorless laugh. _Of course_ Oikawa is going to tease him about this. Something about the familiarity of that squeezes his heart, which only adds to the warmth of embarrassment rushing through him. He places his guitar down and sits at the edge of his bed. He buries his face in his hands.

After a few moments of tense silence he feels the bed dip next to him, on his right side. Then he feels Oikawa’s thigh and shoulder pressed against his. He hears the DVD’s and snacks being placed on the other side of Oikawa.

“Hajime,” Oikawa says softly, like a sigh of relief. Like he had been waiting for an excuse to say it. Iwaizumi can’t help the burning of his cheeks at the sound of his given name leaving Oikawa’s lips. It’s not exactly rare these days, but it’s deliberately used, reserved for times when it’s just the two of them and they drop any reservations and pretenses. “You know I’m just teasing, right? I obviously would never tell the team if you didn’t want me to. So, please don't _actually_ be embarrassed about this. It's really no fun to tease you about it if you are. And about what I said...I actually think that you sounded really nice. Who knew my brute of a best friend had the voice of an angel?”

Iwaizumi groans into his hands, his skin burning at the points it’s connected to Oikawa through layers of fabric. Iwaizumi doesn't know if he's ever felt so warm. It's _overwhelming._ It's too many sensations, too many emotions. It's embarrassment, it's deeply rooted familiarity, it's the fact that Oikawa had come over to cheer him up even though Iwaizumi had shut him out.

“I’m serious,” Oikawa says with a laugh, a pleasant sound. It's light, and pretty, and without any awkwardness. His next words are spoken so sincerely and so softly that it makes Iwaizumi's heart drop. “You’re amazing, Hajime. I was just really surprised, is all. I really thought we’d learned everything there is to know about each other.”

Iwaizumi slowly removes his hands from his face but he keeps his eyes down. He knows his face his bright red so he refuses to turn toward Oikawa. He sort of wishes a hole would open up in his room and swallow him up, so that he wouldn't have to have such an earnest conversation with his best friend.

“It’s not that I liked keeping it from you. And you didn’t exactly make it easy, what with constantly breaking into my house, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi adds in an attempt to light the mood, shooting a glare at Oikawa, who gasps and swats his arm playfully. Oikawa then gives Iwaizumi a look that says _go on._ Iwaizumi sighs and looks back down. “We’ve just shared every part of our lives for 14 years, so, I thought it might be good to keep one thing for myself. For times when I was too ashamed to face you and needed a way to relieve stress. I needed something just for myself.”

“Ashamed? What are you talking about?” 

Iwaizumi says nothing, so Oikawa fills in, like he always does. “This is about what happened in practice. What the hell happened anyway?”

Iwaizumi shrugs, praying that his voice doesn’t break with emotion at his next words. “It’s just...we don’t have a lot of time left, in high school, I mean. I want us to go as far as possible with volleyball, but what if, what if I’m not-”

Iwaizumi is cut off by a punch to the arm. And Oikawa isn’t remotely weak, so it hurts. Iwaizumi curses and finally turns toward Oikawa, ready to scream at him, until he notices the way Oikawa’s face is scrunched up, eyes threatening.

“Stop,” Oikawa says roughly. “If you’re going to say something dumb like _I'm not a good enough ace_ or _you deserve somebody better_ , just _stop._ You know you’re the best ace, _my ace,_ the only person I can send my sets to with complete confidence. Even if every spike doesn’t win us a point, I know that you’ll always try your best. If not for yourself, then for me and the rest of the team. And about high school ending soon, so what? _Of course_ I’m scared, too, but I know that no matter what we’ll always be in each other’s lives. You have to know by now that you can’t get rid of me that easily. I don’t _care_ if we’re on opposite sides of the world, you’ll always be my ace. And everything will be okay."

A beat of silence passes between them, then Oikawa says, "Also, I don't mind if you have something for yourself, but I _do_ mind if you feel like you can't tell me something. Whatever it is, I can take it. You know that. So seriously, knock it off, Hajime.”

Iwaizumi stares at him, lost for words. Then relief floods him, so fast and completely, a satisfying sensation that soothes Iwaizumi of any tension. It feels like finally resurfacing after being underwater, and taking that first huge gulp of air. Iwaizumi can finally breathe. And he should’ve known from the start that even these feelings, the not so good ones, would be safe with Oikawa. Iwaizumi wants to thank him, his setter, his captain, his best friend, his _everything._ For so fiercely accepting every part of him. For always knowing the right thing to say. For matching Iwaizumi in the way he doesn’t hesitate to knock some sense into him. For knowing him and loving him more throughly than he does himself. But instead, Iwaizumi takes a deep breath and says, “Sorry for storming off earlier.”

And Oikawa smiles, a shy smile reserved only for Iwaizumi. Because _of course_ Oikawa knows what Iwaizumi isn’t saying but still means by his words. 

“All is forgiven, my dear Iwa-chan. So, now that that’s settled, does this mean you’ll give me private concerts from now on?”

Iwaizumi groans again, falling back onto the bed with a flop. 

“I’m serious! If I don’t hear that angelic voice again, I might die! You wouldn’t want me to die, would you?”

Oikawa lays down too, his eyes crinkling with humor, his left shoulder pressing against Iwaizumi's right shoulder again. 

“I’m not really seeing any downsides to that in this moment, Idiotkawa,” Iwaizumi huffs.

“Mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa whines. "Who would put up with a brute like you if I weren't here?"

Iwaizumi laughs, carefree. His eyes flutter closed. He bumps his knuckles against Oikawa’s hand without meaning to; it's just something that feels natural. 

“Fine, I guess you're not wrong. Ask me again the next time I’m drunk, Tooru,” Iwaizumi concedes, heart stuttering when Oikawa slides his left hand against Iwaizumi’s palm and laces their fingers. Oikawa's hand is warm and solid in Iwaizumi's. 

Iwaizumi opens his eyes at the touch and turns his head toward Oikawa, his right cheek pressing into the comforter. Oikawa is already looking at him. Their eyes meet. The last rays of sunset pour through Iwaizumi's window, painting Oikawa golden and turning his brown eyes a pretty caramel. Oikawa's face is relaxed, like he's about to fall asleep, but his cheeks are flushed again.

Iwaizumi opens his mouth to say something, he's not sure what, before Oikawa squeezes his hand and laughs, cutting him off by saying, “I’m definitely taking you up on that. Don’t you dare think I’ll forget, not when my Hajime has such a nice voice.”

And even if it feels like carefully placed boundaries are blurring, even if he's secretly glad that Oikawa caught him singing, and even if he‘s starting to become aware that his feelings for Oikawa go beyond friendship and it terrifies him to feel so deeply about someone, Iwaizumi still feels safe anchored to the boy next to him. Because whenever Iwaizumi falls, Oikawa catches him. And vice versa. A push and pull that exists so naturally between them. And because Oikawa’s right, Iwaizumi knows that he’ll always be Oikawa’s ace. And everything will be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to follow me on tikok @ iwaizumisbiceps and on twitter @ iwasbiceps. Thanks! Also, what are we thinking about a sequel in which Iwaizumi discovers a secret of Oikawa's?


End file.
